Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham are best known as Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, the quick-witted, close-knit mother-daughter pair in “Gilmore Girls.” The popular series, which ended in 2007 after seven seasons, is coming back for four ninety-minute episodes on Netflix. “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” will premiere on the streaming service November 25.
“Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, along with her husband Dan Palladino, sold the new series concept to Netflix. The pair wanted to finish what they started. A contractual disagreement led to Sherman-Palladino and Palladino leaving the original series after its sixth season. Many fans were disappointed by their absence in the show’s final season, and felt that “Gilmore Girls” didn’t get the farewell it deserved.
The revival is bringing back all its key players for its four episodes, including Melissa McCarthy as Sookie, and Kelly Bishop as the family matriarch, Emily.
Graham and Bledel have both been busy working since the series ended. Graham starred in “Parenthood,” which ran for six seasons on NBC, while most of Bledel’s credits have been on the big screen, with roles in films such as “Jenny’s Wedding,” “Violet & Daisy,” “Post Grad,” and the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” franchise. Bledel also had an arc on “Mad Men.” Sherman- Palladino went on to co-create ABC Family’s “Bunheads.”
We sat down with Graham and Bledel on the set of the revival earlier this year to find out more about the series reboot.
W&H: How does it feel to be back?
LG: It feels like yesterday. It’s a combination of the new and very familiar. In television, you never know where things are headed, but I couldn’t be happier, because having been away from the show, I know how rare this character is, [and] how significant this writing is.
The last season was rough creatively, but we learned that we couldn’t replicate the talent of Amy and Dan. It just didn’t feel like the same show. That’s why, when the conversation started about bringing it back, it didn’t feel like a reboot for the sake of it. It just felt like we were lucky to finish what wasn’t done. We were also really happy people cared.
AB: It’s surreal. It kind of feels like we never left. There are just so many familiar faces and the writing is as good or even better [than it was]. It still feels like the same show everyone loves. It’s also a unique opportunity to revisit a character at a different stage of her life. You get to add a new sensibility, which is special for me as an actor.
W&H: Were there any doubts about coming back?
LG: We didn’t have time! We had some basic conversations with Amy but nothing was official. Then there was a big announcement that Netflix bought the revival. They sold us right away, but then the process was a very long road.
But once we got here, it was very exciting. The structure of “Parenthood” was very loose and somewhat improvisational at times and far less structured, so I craved this — the more precise writing and having to say every line as written. The creative texture of “Gilmore Girls” is like listening to a real family.
AB: There were no doubts, but I wanted to know what the story would be. Amy told me the broad strokes, and I knew I wanted to be in it.
W&H: How would you describe the relationship between you two in real life?
AB: [We’re colleagues] — [Lauren] is someone [I’ve] worked with for a long time and [we] have a mutual understanding.
LG: We’ve never been like mother-daughter. It has always been a partnership. We always worked well together and we have tremendous respect for each other. When Alexis started on the show at age 19, she had a lot of composure. As work colleagues, it’s nicer to be on the same page and we always have been.
W&H: What do you like about the new series?
AB: They’re ninety-minutes each so there’s a lot more packed into each episode. Yet it’s all the same things you loved about the original show. It gave Amy a chance to write more, which is what she does. The show is longer but the scenes are the same length. I don’t think she really ever got her recognition for the show. Over time people got what we were trying to do, but we were on a kid’s network so it just took more time. The dialogue is also deceptively intelligent and people like it.
LG: I agree. Amy is never at a loss for good story-telling. She always has more to say and even with this, she said, “There’s so much more, I couldn’t even fit it all in.” I always connected to the writing of the show and to this character in such a strong way that getting to come back was invigorating.
W&H: Where does the show pick up?
LG: We had to deal with the loss of Ed Herman, [who played my father and Rory’s grandfather]. That necessitated the story starting from there — each of us handling that — and other aspects of life, work, and love. His absence is very, very present.
LB: Rory has been a journalist for several years and her field is changing. She’s been chasing stories, sleeping on people’s floors. She’s committed to what she’s doing and that she’s incredibly ambitious.
W&H: How have your relationships evolved?
LG: There is a lot of unresolved stuff and the loss of my dad brings it into focus. I always thought that one interesting aspect of Lorelai’s personality was arrested development, that she’s still a teenager. She has to reconcile stuff that is not age-appropriate anymore. Lorelai and Rory definitely have a journey in the four episodes.
AB: It’s funny how fans have latched onto one favorite guy and they’re all coming back. I have great scenes with each one.
W&H: How does it feel to be reconnecting to a whole new audience on Netflix?
LG: It’s really lovely, and we hope we don’t disappoint them because their expectations are so high. I wrote a novel a few years ago about a young girl who’s trying to be an actress, and on that book tour I saw younger and younger people coming to meet me. So I got to see people who had found the show on DVD or Netflix and I thought, “Oh, we’re going to be like ‘Laverne & Shirley.’” People finding the show years and years later is just terrific.
AB: It’s amazing that Netfilix opened up the show to another generation. That made it possible to come back. At its core the show is about members of a family who all need each other and I think that fans feel a real connection to everyone in the family and even in the town, more broadly. The characters lean on each other day to day, and fans appreciate that.
LG: It’s a way to escape, too. There are a lot of shows that are really stressful now. This is more of a home, where you really know the people in the show.
W&H: What’s one highlight of the upcoming series that you are able to discuss?
AB: Sutton Foster will be visiting Stars Hollow and we definitely utilize her gifts. She provides a turning point for Lorelai that really sends her into the next part of her journey.
